Is Subaru working on a mid-engined sports car?

TopSpeed

By Safet Satara

Published Oct 11, 2018

A Hybrid, perhaps?

Just before the start of the Paris Motor Show, the world of cars was bathed with revived rumors about a Subaru mid-engined sports car. Japanese motoring journal, Best Car, reported that Subaru is working on a new mid-engine sports car that will “arrive soon.” These rumors have been additionally fueled by the fact that similar ones appeared in 2016. It must be true then! Subaru is working on a mid-engined sports car! Or, is it?

I Don’t Believe A Mid-Engine Subaru Is Gonna Happen Any Time Soon

My common sense simply cannot grasp that Subaru, who invested so much on building a rather sensible brand image framed by convenience, family values, safety, and dogs that talk, is building something as cool as a mid-engine sports car. Personally, I do not believe it. However, rumors from 2016 did suggest that Subaru worked with a camouflaged BRZ with a mid-engine setup. Plus, a Subaru employee who wanted to remain anonymous apparently commented to Car and Driver about the new car:

“Whether the end result will be a two-door sports coupe or some kind of sports crossover/CUV is still in the evaluation stage. A coupe seems more likely, though,” he said.

At this point in time, we know that the car could have a boxer engine linked with two additional electric motors. One of those would spin the front wheels, while the ICE and the other e motor would provide power for the rear wheels. This sounds like a really complex setup because it is. Reading this I can only imagine the Acura NSX in my head. It is similarly overengineered. Nevertheless, the thing is that a car like this would be extremely fun, really fast, and seriously capable on the track.

What Would It Look Like?

I am still not convinced that it will ever happen. But if it does, the new Subaru mid-engined sports car may take some styling cues from the Viziv GT Vision Gran Turismo concept that appeared in the Gran Turismo game. That would be fun. Far more likely, however, is yet another collaboration with Toyota. Rumors about the new Toyota MR2 hitting the roads surfaced not that long ago. After all, the two collaborated on the development of the BRZ/86. We could see yet another sports car effort from these two Japanese companies.

Conclusion

Obviously, I have my doubts about whether the mid-engined Subaru will ever come to life. However, it would be pretty awesome if the Japanese wowed the whole world with the introduction of a halo car like this. With 330 horsepower, I can see the Subaru mid-engined sports car competing with the Alpine A110, the Porsche 718 Cayman, and even the Alfa Romeo 4C (this one is old though).

Even if it gets produced, I am inclined to believe that it would be an MR2 knock-off and not exactly a Subaru-developed car.